Dye Project: Bolete with Alum

For my first mushroom dyeing project, I decided to use the Boletus edulis that popped up in great quantity under the oak tree in our yard, after the fall and winter rains. The mushrooms had already started to deteriorate by the time I harvested them, but, according to my research, this can actually produce more dye color.

I decided to recycle three of the cotton dish towels in my stash, and overdye them with the mushroom dye. The dish towels had been mordanted with alum. Mushroom dyes typically work better with protein-based fibers than plant-based fibers, but I was curious to try dyeing with cotton for myself. I also decided to use a different mordant additive for each of the three dish towels—alum, titanium oxide, and ferrous sulfate—in three separate dye experiments.

Boletus edulis later in its life cycle

The Boletus mushroom cap underside consists of densely packed pores

The dye color for B. edulis comes from the mushroom cap underside, which is very spongy. I separated the spongy cap underside to harvest the dye material. The color is greenish-yellow.

Spongy mushroom cap undersides

Extract the Dye

The first step is to extract the dye from the mushroom pieces, using the heat extraction method that I've used for many other dye projects over the years.

Place the chopped up mushrooms in a pot covered with water, and bring the temperature slowly to 185 °F (this takes about an hour). Out of curiosity, I tested the pH of the liquid, which registered 6 (mildly acid).

Chopped up Boletus edulis mushroom pieces

Stir in 1 T. + 1 tsp. of Alum to the water. I checked the pH again, which then registered 2 (strongly acid). Heat the dye pot to 180 - 185°. This takes about an hour. Let the pot simmer for another hour. The mushroom slurry is a rich brown color, very slimy, and smells like a delicious, hearty stew. The pore tubes, through which spores travel, separate from each other in the slurry and look like worms.

Mushroom slurry draining through cheese cloth

Let the mixture cool for several hours. When cool, strain the liquid through the sieve lined with cheese cloth. Save the dye liquid and discard the strained mushroom goo. Cover the dye pot and store it in a cool place until ready to dye.

Dye the Fabric

Next, dye the fabric with the mushroom dye liquid. For this experiment, I recycled a cotton dish towel that had been mordanted with alum and solar-dyed with beet stems, which had produced a pale brownish-gray with a tinge of pink in certain light (see Dye Project: Beet Stems). I used a third of the dye and added more alum as an additive, saving the rest of the dye extract for two future experiments.

Boletus dye pot with alum additive

Place the extracted mushroom dye in a dye pot and stir in 1 T. + 1 tsp alum. I tested the pH of the liquid, which now registered 3 (moderately acid). Meanwhile, place the dish towel in clear water to soak for 20-30 minutes, to enable the fibers to soak up the dye.

Heat the mushroom dye to 185 °F (this takes about an hour). Squeeze out the wet towel, and place it in the dye. Simmer for one hour, maintaining the temperature of 185°. Add water periodically to keep the fabric covered with dye extract.

Steep the cotton fabric overnight

Turn off the heat and let the fabric steep in the dye overnight. The next day, squeeze out excess dye, rinse the fabric, and then run it through the washing machine (cold water only), and hang to dry.

Full disclosure: I wasn't thinking, and actually added a mild textile soap [like Synthropol or Professional Textile Detergent (a.k.a., Dharma Dyer's Detergent)] to the rinse, and then dried the towel in the dryer (I usually just rinse and hang to dry, and then wash in mild detergent two weeks later, giving the dye time to set). It seemed to work OK, but was not my usual process.

Squeeze out excess dye and rinse thoroughly

The resulting color was a greenish-yellow when wet (reminiscent of the mushroom underside), but it dried to a lighter shade. The photo appears more tan than the actual color. I wondered if the mushroom dye actually dyed the fabric at all, or did it simply cause a slight over-dye reaction with the previous beet stem dye? It will be interesting to see the outcome of the future experiments planned, using titanium and iron.

The resulting color is actually more greenish-yellow than the photo shows

Landscaping: Two Year Report

 We are celebrating the second anniversary of our “new” landscape! It’s a good time to take stock and see how the garden is progressing. Rebecca Kolls of Rebecca’s Garden says that in the first year perennials sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap. In this post I’m providing a two-year report, comparing progress against Landscaping: One Year Report; Landscaping: Six Month Report; and Landscaping: Finished. Time flies!

Path to the rock garden (Bobo the Husky in the shade to the far right)

The landscape was designed as a wildlife garden with keystone plants for food and shelter, inspired by Doug Tallamy’s work to promote personal landscapes that provide wildlife habitat. The Bird Buddy bird feeder (with camera), hummingbird feeder in the side yard, and terracotta bird bath provide for our avian visitors. The native plants and grasses provide food and habitat for birds, squirrels, and insects. The mighty oak provides deep shade for plants, animals, and people.

Path under the oak canopy

We have become more familiar with the plants, weeds, shrubs and trees in the landscape, and have developed a monthly maintenance schedule for its care. Our professional landscape maintenance team comes once a month and contributes experience, labor, and knowledge to landscape maintenance. Some of the annuals that were planted as succession plants have died off or come back with fewer plants. I could scatter some annual or perennial seed mix, but honestly, I’m enjoying the more “edited” look with fewer plants. That may change, because I do miss the bursts of annual color scattered about the yard.

We’ve lost some plants, which is to be expected. We planted a few replacement plants in November, taking advantage of the winter rains to help get the roots established. Most of the plants are happy in the place they have been planted. The garden is fairly low maintenance (once you know what is required), but weeding is definitely needed.

Path to the lower yard

After reviewing the new landscape, I am satisfied with the progress made over the last year. Most of the original plants are still alive and thriving (coming to the end of the “creep” phase). So far our only change has been to plant two Japanese maple trees in planters. They are thriving and have benefited from aesthetic pruning from our landscaping maintenance team. I’m looking forward to observing as the perennials move into the “leap” stage of their development in the new garden!

Trip to Mendocino

My husband and I recently visited Mendocino, California for a short trip. Mendocino is located about 160 miles north of Oakland, so is very accessible, and is a favorite spot to explore and enjoy life. I wanted to see the Mushrooms & Color Exhibit at the Mendocino Art Center, and my husband wanted to take photos of the sites and landscape. We decided to bring Bobo the Husky, thinking that a short, three-night trip would be a good test case for possible future trips.

This would be Bobo's first road trip with us, and possibly ever. He loves riding in the car, and took the very curvy Highway 128 from the 101 over to the coast like a champ. The stop at Navarro Vineyards & Winery and their wonderful dog park was the perfect place for a quick run and long drink of water. He needed to blow off some steam (I got a good work out as well, trying to keep up with him)! 

Crossing the Richmond Bridge

Farmstead on the way

Our other trips to Mendocino have been in the fall, when the hills are golden and the leaves are sporting fall colors. This time the hills were green and lush from spring rains. Traffic wasn't bad either, especially once we got past Petaluma.

We checked into The Andiron Inn & Cabins and settled into The William and Maude Suite. The Andiron is very dog friendly, and we put their Pet Kit to use right from the start (protective sheets to cover furniture, towels for rubbing down a wet dog, poop bags, home made dog treats, and a personal greeting welcoming Bobo to the Inn). The suite has two rooms, a kitchenette, and a wide front porch. Bobo seemed right at home and enjoyed a walk around the grounds (the chicken coup and goat pen were especially compelling for him). He seemed a little nervous around his dinner time, but looked relieved when his dinner appeared at the usual time in his yellow bowl.

The cabins of The Andiron

Bobo the Husky eating dinner at the usual time

Cozy room with a hair dryer chair

Mendocino as a community is also very dog friendly, which made our first trip with Bobo so pleasurable. We like to eat breakfast at GoodLife Cafe & Bakery, and learned that they have a small park behind the restaurant that is perfect for a dog family to eat together outside. We ate pizza for dinner inside at Frankie's, so Bobo experienced his first time eating at a restaurant (there was an outdoor seating area, but it was already dark and the staff was closing for the day, so they allowed it). For the other two evening meals, we ordered food to go from Flow Restaurant & Lounge and Patterson's Pub, and brought them it back to the Andiron to eat by the fire place.  Very cozy.

Breakfast in the park at GoodLife Cafe & Bakery

Taking a walk while waiting for our Patterson's Pub To Go order

During the day we walked along the trails of the Mendocino Headlands and frolicked in the waves of Van Damme Beach. We brought a 15' leash to give Bobo a little more range, and he thoroughly enjoyed it! I photographed a few late-season mushrooms and harvested some lichen that had blown down in a big wind storm.

Van Damme Beach

We left Bobo in the car for several very short stints, while we did a little shopping at the Mendocino Market, Mendocino Jams and Preserves, and The Highlight Gallery. It was probably harder on us than it was on him, but we wanted to see how he would do alone in the car in short bursts. After all, not every place is dog friendly, or appropriate for a big, energetic dog. Bobo did great, but always seemed happy to see us upon our return. Overall, we found Bobo to be an enthusiastic traveler who embraced every activity with gusto.

Driving back home through the coastal redwoods

We learned a lot on our inaugural trip with Bobo. Advanced planning and research is vital for travelling with a dog. Unless you plan to camp, you need pet-friendly accommodations and restaurants (or order to-go). You need to understand the rules when staying in a pet friendly motel; there is typically a daily fee and you probably cannot leave a pet in the room while you are away. Some motels, attractions, or communities offer kennel service, but you may need to book in advance. Others do not offer such a service, so you may not be able to participate in some activities at your destination.

As when travelling with children, its probably best to stick with the same basic schedule for meals, downtime, and bedtime as you do at home. You also need to provide a water source, snacks and treats, and ensure your pet's comfort and safety. Exercise and downtime are as important on the road, as they are at home. We're looking forward to future car trips with Bobo the Husky!